If you’ve followed John Nolan‘s output since he departed Taking Back Sunday many moons ago, this release won’t exactly be a surprise to anyone. At times difficult, often, well a bit weird, ‘Height’ dissects the Straylight Run sound, removes any nod to a melody and the mainstream, yet still sounds like John Nolan. It actually reminds me of the new Brand New record in terms of how it sounds – it has that same uncomfortable tone to it, a tone which I think will polarise people. Some will love this, some will hate it.
I quite like it. I don’t think I’ll be listening to this over and over again, but there are some great individual songs here. ‘I Don’t Believe You’, with its samples and loops, sounds really, really impressive. John’s impassioned vocals are at their best on this record on that particular song, although you really do feel what he’s trying to say throughout. There’s lots in the lyrics too. ‘Screaming Into The Wind’ is a great track, as is the very melancholic ‘Here I Am’. It’s difficult to exactly pin down John’s influences, nor is it easy to say he sounds like X or Y. It’s sometimes uncomfortable and unnerving, yet always interesting.
I was reading ap.net’s review of this a week or so ago and one of the user comments stated ‘the world doesn’t need another Kevin Devine singer/songwriter’. While it would be too crude to suggest John and Kevin’s recent albums sound anything alike, I get the point. Does the world need another ‘difficult’ solo album? Probably not. Still, ‘Height’ is an interesting, intriguing record with some standout moments. It’s not going to set everyone’s world alight, but those who ‘get’ it, will undoubtedly love it.